IUPUI University Library holds the first Annual Open Education Awards

INDIANAPOLIS—On March 7, faculty and staff gathered in IUPUI University Library for the 1st Annual Open Education Awards event. This event was created to recognize the work of IUPUI faculty members who have been committed to integrating Open Educational Resources (OERs) into their coursework.

You might ask, “What are OERs?” According to the Hewlett Foundation, OERs are teaching, learning and research resources that reside in the public domain or have licenses that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. Resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.

Eight faculty members were finalists this year:

Keith Anliker

School of Science – Department of Chemistry

Nancy Barton

School of Health and Human Sciences - Department of Kinesiology

Brian Dixon

Fairbanks School of Public Health - Department of Epidemiology

Jennifer Guiliano

School of Liberal Arts – Department of History

Robin Janson

School of Health and Human Sciences - Department of Occupational Therapy

Carole Kacius

Fairbanks School of Public Health – Associate Dean for Education and Training

Steven Lacey

Fairbanks School of Public Health - Department of Environmental Health Science

Jeremy Price

School of Education

While all of the finalists have done great work in the area of open educational resources, Dr. Robin Janson was named this year’s awardee. Dr. Janson is a Clinical Assistant Professor from the School of Health and Human Sciences’ Department of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Janson uses a free, downloadable open source repository of digital designs (Thingiverse) to create a proportional upper limb bone anatomical model that can be 3D printed and assembled. Thingiverse is an open website that allows people to make, share, and discover 3D models. In addition to using the upper limb models during classroom and lab instruction, students are able to check out the models for home study.

Kristi Palmer, interim dean for the library, says, “OERs benefit learners and creators alike. They save students’ money and provide interactive experiences with unique learning objects like 3D printable skeletal models created by this year’s award winner, Dr. Robin Janson. For the creator, the open and wide sharing of instructional materials is ripe with impact opportunity, promoting implementation both direct and remixed by a broad range of instructors, scholars, and students.”